Sarge's Home for the Holidays special adoptions

Photo by: Michael Ritter HO-HO-HO — Give a pet a loving home this holiday season. Dogs and cats are available for adoption at special rates at the animal shelter through Dec. 31.

As in past years, Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation will sponsor “Home for the Holidays” — a program which has helped hundreds of dogs and cats at the Haywood County Animal Shelter find homes during the holiday season by providing low cost adoptions. The animal shelter has cats and dogs available for adoption at a reduced rate now through Dec. 31. All the pets are looking for a loving home.

Home for the Holidays is a promotion funded, in part by Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation and Aidan’s Fund. Adoption fee include a rabies vaccination and spay/neuter for the pet. Dogs are available for $60; female cats for $37.50 and male cats are $27.50. The fee also covers the cost of a distemper and bordatella vaccine for dogs. For the cats, it covers worming.

Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation and Aidan’s Fund supplement the fees to keep them lower to encourage more people to adopt. The reduced adoption fee makes it easier for an adopter to pay for other medical services, plus the extras a new pet needs such as collar, leash, identification tag, food, litter pan, etc.

The shelter is at 245 Hemlock St. in West Waynesville.

“Last year, while we were at the shelter to hang the wreath, two dogs were adopted,” said Tish O’Connor, coordinator for Youth for Sarge’s.

“This is an important time of year for pets that need homes,” said Sarge’s board president Gary Smith. “Sixty animals were adopted from the shelter during last year's Home for the Holidays program.”

The animal shelter is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. The shelter will be closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 28 to 29 and Tuesday through Thursday, Dec. 24-26.